Publications

Jointly reforming the prices of industrial fuels and residential electricity in Saudi Arabia

Energy Policy

The Saudi electricity sector currently buys fuel and sells electricity at prices administered by the government. In this analysis, we illustratively explore combining the reform of the fuel prices used in power plants with the implementation of alternative electricity pricing…

Walid Matar, Murad Anwer

Efficient industrial energy use: The first step in transitioning Saudi Arabia’s energy mix

Energy Policy

In Saudi Arabia, industrial fuel prices are administered below international prices and firms make decisions based on low energy prices, increasing domestic energy demand. This analysis explores alternative policies designed to induce a transition to a more efficient energy system…

Walid Matar, Frederic Murphy, Axel Pierru, Bertrand Rioux, David Wogan

Adding Photovoltaics to the Saudi Power System: What are the Costs of Intermittency?

Amro Elshurafa, Walid Matar

Intermittent generation from wind or photovoltaics (PV) imposes a cost on the power systems in which they are deployed. These costs vary regionally due to different fuel costs and ramping flexibility of existing grid capacities. With 2015 as a reference…

Elshurafa, Amro

Matar, Walid

The prospects for coal-fired power generation in Saudi Arabia

Energy Strategy Reviews

Almost all of Saudi Arabia’s electric power generation is fueled by oil and gas. Plans for future capacity envisage nuclear and renewables supplementing this mix and thereby freeing up oil for other revenue-generating opportunities. Coal-fired generation has been promoted in…

Walid Matar, Rodrigo Echeverri, Axel Pierru

The Responsiveness of Fuel Demand to Gasoline Price in Passenger Transport

Walid Matar

Empirical estimates of fuel demand changes to price variation are based on historical consumption and prices, and can be applied as a single point estimate to a wide range of price movements. However, if fuel prices are set outside the…

Matar, Walid

Beyond the end-consumer: how would improvements in residential energy efficiency affect the power sector in Saudi Arabia?

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency in buildings has garnered significant attention in Saudi Arabia. This paper outlines the potential effects of higher residential efficiency on electricity load profiles in the Kingdom. It further presents the associated benefits that could have been realized by…

Walid Matar

The Prospects for Coal-fired Power Generation in Saudi Arabia

Axel Pierru, Walid Matar

Almost all of Saudi Arabia’s electric power generation is fueled by oil and gas. Plans for future capacity envisage nuclear and renewables supplementing this mix and freeing up oil for other revenue-generating opportunities. Coal-fired generation has been promoted in some…

Pierru, Axel

Matar, Walid

Alternative industrial fuel prices could benefit the Saudi economy

Oxford Energy Forum

Walid Matar

Efficient Industrial Energy Use: The First Step in Transitioning Saudi Arabia’s Energy Mix

Walid Matar, Axel Pierru, Frederic Murphy, David Wogan, Bertrand Rioux

External observers worry about whether Saudi domestic consumption of oil will crowd out exports. This is based on simple extrapolations which suggest that in a little more than 20 years Saudi Arabia may become a net importer of hydrocarbon fuels.…

Matar, Walid

Pierru, Axel

Murphy, Frederic

Wogan, David

Rioux, Bertrand

Lowering Saudi Arabia’s fuel consumption and energy system costs without increasing end consumer prices

Energy Economics

Using a multi-sector equilibrium model of the Saudi energy system that handles administered prices in a mixed-complementarity formulation, we present results from a set of policy scenarios that lower oil consumption in the country. Some of these scenarios are the…

Walid Matar, Frederic Murphy, Axel Pierru, Bertrand Rioux

Modeling residential electricity consumption and efficiency within an economic framework

Walid Matar

Many countries have promoted energy efficiency and conservation in the residential sector due to its significant contribution to total demand. This paper discusses some of the wider implications of more efficient households on the overall energy system. Various efficiency options,…

Matar, Walid

The impact of oil price volatility on welfare in the kingdom of saudi arabia: Implications for public investment decision-making

Energy Journal

Since real oil price is positively correlated with real consumption and domesticincome in Saudi Arabia, a risk premium needs to be considered when assessingthe net present value of oil-related public investment projects. For projects generatingadditional oil exports, this risk premium…

Axel Pierru, Walid Matar

Lowering Saudi Arabia’s fuel consumption and energy system costs without increasing end consumer prices

Walid Matar, Frederic Murphy, Axel Pierru, Bertrand Rioux

Saudi Arabia aims to reduce the growth of its energy demand. This paper outlines an approach that could help the country to reduce substantively its current fuel consumption and could result in a net economic gain without increasing current end…

Matar, Walid

Murphy, Frederic

Pierru, Axel

Rioux, Bertrand

An Introduction to Oil Market Volatility Analysis

OPEC Energy Review 37

Walid Matar, Axel Pierru